Electronic Medical Record Boosts Quality, Efficiency

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Electronic Medical Record Boosts Quality, Efficiency

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=43396

Ten years ago, s A. on, MD, PhD, FSCAI, was none too

enthusiastic about the electronic medical record (EMR) being

developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs for use throughout

its health system.

" I thought we would spend a lot of time sitting in front of a

computer screen, and it would take us away from patients, " said Dr.

on, who directs the cardiac catheterization laboratory at the

Southern Arizona VA Health Care System in Tucson, and is a professor

of medicine at the University of Arizona. " Today I think the

electronic medical record enables us to take better care of patients--

and to do it more consistently. "

Dr. on will talk about why he changed his view at a special

symposium on the electronic medical record being held at the Society

for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 29th Annual

Scientific Sessions in Chicago, May 10-13. He will be joined by co-

chairs E. Tcheng, MD, FSCAI, and Bonnie H. Weiner, MD, FSCAI,

as well as representatives from Kaiser Permanente and major EMR

vendors.

Not all skeptics have become fans. Electronic medical records are

costly, implementation can be difficult and disruptive, not all

software is as seamless and user-friendly as it should be, vendors

come and go, and the road to universal standards has been long. And,

since many physicians practice in multiple hospital systems in

addition to their own practices, integration can be challenging.

Some of the EMR systems currently in use result in a significant

shift in clerical work to physicians. In addition, cardiology is a

field that depends heavily on graphics, such as electrocardiograms,

echocardiograms (ultrasound), and angiograms, but many EMR programs

cannot yet import or even view graphics. Challenges remain in

creating interfaces between existing hospital systems and the EMR

that will take further development to overcome. Furthermore, research

on medical errors has not consistently shown that the EMR decreases

errors.

Still, EMRs offer several potential advantages for interventional

cardiology: System-wide computerization means that medical records

are available whenever the physician needs them; EMRs contain

complete data on the patient's medical history, diagnostic tests, and

treatments; and, unlike handwriting, EMRs are always legible.

An EMR has other strengths too. It enables the creation of templates,

so that reports on diagnostic studies or interventional treatments

can be completed easily, accurately, and immediately--without the

delays of dictation, transcription, or filing. Electronic records can

issue reminders to physicians about recommended medications, drug-

drug interactions, follow-up exams, and prevention guidelines.

In addition, information from EMRs can flow automatically to and from

databases, where it can be used to measure quality of care and to

compare one healthcare institution--or one interventionalist--to

another. These data can also be used to adjust for patient health and

the complexity of each procedure when tracking clinical outcomes.

Finally, electronic records can improve research studies by making

data collection easier and faster.

" I see the electronic medical record involved in everything we do,

from recording images and data, to describing why we did a procedure

and what we learned, to analyzing data for quality, to keeping track

of the supplies we used and what we need, " Dr. on said. " The

potential of the electronic medical record to improve health care is

huge. "